Kerry SFC Final: Dr Crokes finish with a flourish
Mark O'Shea of Dr Crokes celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Kerry County Senior Football Championship final match between Dr Crokes and Kenmare Shamrocks at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, Kerry. Photo by Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile.
Garvey's SuperValu Kerry SFC Final
Dr Crokes 1-24 Kenmare Shamrocks 2-14
By Paul Brennan
Dr Crokes are Kerry senior football champions for a record-extending 15th time, and it all came from an incredible scoring burst late in the game when they hit nine unanswered points in a four-minute period to deny Kenmare Shamrocks a first ever championship title.
Having been ahead for much of the match – led by the excellent Sean O’Shea who posted nine points – Kenmare were blitzed by four consecutive two-pointers from a Dr Crokes team cut loose in the final 10 minutes, having struggled to get to grips by a Kenmare side sensing this might be their only chance at reaching the summit.
The victory moves Dr Crokes two clear at the top of the roll of honour, sees them regain the title they last held two years ago, and banks a remarkable ninth county championship medal for Brian Looney and Fionn Fitzgerald.
For Kenmare Shamrocks – only a senior club for the last decade – this will be a tough defeat to swallow, having led by two points with 10 minute to go before being blown away by Dr Crokes late surge.
Tony Brosnan, twice, David Shaw and Tom Doyle raised orange flags in rapid succession between the 52nd and 55th minutes, and when Cian McMahon raised a white flag the Killarney club went from wo points behind to seven in front.
There was a late exchange of pointed frees between Sean O’Shea and Brosnan, but Dr Crokes were celebrating another county championship success by then.
It has all started so well for Kenmare who ran up a 1-3 to no score lead after just seven minutes; the goal coming from David Ciuciu’s fist in the sixth minute as the underdogs were rampant playing with a stiff wind advantage under a winter sun.
Dr Crokes finally got a score from Alex Hennigan, and they picked away at the scoreboard through the second quarter with Brosnan, Cillian Fitzgerald, Charlie Keating and Shaw among the scorers as they trailed 0-7 to 1-8 at the interval.
The Crokes started the second half with a 32nd minute goal from Mark O’Shea, but Kenmare struck back within 30 second with Kevin O’Sullivan getting the final touch to restore his team’s four-point lead.
By the 42nd minute Dr Crokes had pulled level, 1-12 to 2-9, and while the Shamrocks momentarily pushed the lead back out to three thanks to Sean O’Shea (two-point free) and Donal O’Sullivan, the Kenmare side - who finished with 14 men on the field after Jack O'Sullivan's late second yellow card - had no answer to Dr Crokes late, great scoring blitz.
Scorers for Kenmare: S O’Shea 0-9 (3 tpf, 2f), D Ciuciu 1-0, K O’Sullivan 1-0, D O’Sullivan 0-2, T Murnane 0-1, J Lehane 0-1, J O’Sullivan 0-1
Dr Crokes: D Shaw 0-7 (2 tp), T Brosnan 0-7 (3 tp, 3f), A Hennigan 0-3, M O’Shea 1-0, C McMahon 0-2, T Doyle 0-2 (tp), C Fitzgerald 0-1, C Keating 0-1, B Looney 0-1
DR CROKES: Shane Murphy, Cllian Fitzgerald, Fionn Fitzgerald, Mark Fitzgerald, Evan Looney, Gavin White, Brian Looney, Charlie Keating, Mark O’Shea, Maidhcí Lynch, David Shaw, Tom Doyle, Tony Brosnan, Cian McMahon, Alex Hennigan. Subs: Adam Byrne for M Lynch (46), Neil O’Shea for C Fitzgerald (52), Michael Potts for C McMahon (60), Billy Courtney for D Shaw (60), Mark O’Carroll for T Doyle (60)
KENMARE SHAMROCKS: Kieran Fitzgibbon, Liam O’Sullivan, Dara O’Shea, Tommy Cronin, Dan McCarthy, Darragh O’Connor, Jimmy Lehane, David Ciuciu, Kevin O’Sullivan, Jack O’Sullivan, Seánie O’Shea, Stephen O’Brien, Eoghan McCarthy, Dónal O’Sullivan ‘Down’, Tom Murnane Subs: Jack Tangney for E McCarthy (39), Zach O’Shea for J Lehane (46), David Hallissey for S O’Brien (53)
REFEREE: Sean Joy
